Copper banded butterfly-Should I??

[Canadian Man]

So My tank is a 90g, lots of live rock.
-A few clams-large and small
-Sps,lps and some softies
-current fish are Scopas tang, scooter blennie, 2 cardinals, 4 chromis, and 1 clown fish but will be 2 again soon. Also 2 cleaner shrimp and lots of other clean up crew critters.

So I would like to hear anyones experience with a copper banded and my main consideration would be my corals and clams. I don't want this fish if it's going to bother my corals or clams.

I don't have an aptasia problem but my live rock is covered with feather dusters on the underside of every rock.

Thanks All

[AJ_77]

If you read the bulk of available online articles, you'll find yourself questioning this even more, because of the "dismal" success rate with this fish. But isn't it much like the tang question? Some people do well with a variety of tangs; others fail and subsequently use their experiences as a warning to others.

My experience is rather a cautionary encouragement: if I can keep one, you should be able to as well. Coolest (reef-safe) fish ever. (And kiss your feather dusters goodbye, I think. You can get some aptasia from some other locals. )

How territorial is your Scopas? I think you have to be aware of the animals in your care and their characteristics and temperament. After the research, it's largely an intuitive decision.

HTH,

Alan

[Canadian Man]

Well my scopas is now quite a relaxed fish.
At one point I had my yellow tang and the scopas in the tank together. They fought at first but became good buddies and followed eachother around the tank like two kids.

If you read the bulk of available online articles, you'll find yourself questioning this even more, because of the "dismal" success rate with this fish. But isn't it much like the tang question?

The more searches I do the more I find my self questioning getting a CB.
I do see alot of members on Reefcentral with a tank full of SPS and CLAMS with a CB so I know some don't have problems.

Anyone currently have one of these in a reef tank???

[stephane]

Here is mine!





I have it for more three month now and did a lot reseach before buying it and found it mostly reef safe if you feed im well and dont have feather duster

the tricky part is to feed him at first mine was full off ick and one ulceration when I brouth it home I drop it in my reef and start to feed the reef severale time a day with mysis and after a couple of day he was feeding I continue the feast for 2 week feeding the tank several time a day to fat him a bit then I slowly give him different kind of food and now he is a pig heating waht ever I put in the tank

I feed him on time a day and he alway look a copepod and worm the rest of the day he is fat and healty the ick and ulceration have gone 10 day after the purchase and now he look awsome

I have 3 clam lps sps softy cleaner shrimp......... and he dont bother anyting for now IMO it is a great add because he is beautiful and easy non agressive fish but there alway exeption in all fish, I even have 5 years ago buy a hyppo tang who have develop a taste for star polyp and thoastoll so notting is realy 100% safe but this one seem to be relativaly safe from all the search I made IMO it is a way more safe than a flame angel but people still trying them most fail and I fail severale time with them

good luck



I dont have aiptasia

[Canadian Man]

Thanks Stephane,
That's a great opinion on them.
I think a CB will be the next addition to my tank when I can find a healthy one to bring home.
Very nice pictures, Thanks

[AJ_77]

Very nice pics Stephane, but now they're gone... Doesn't Jamie Cross have a Copperbanded also?

Jon, when my CBB first started feeding, there was 2-3 dozen aptasia for him. They seemed to get him used to the idea that there was food available in the tank, but they lasted only a few days. Then I put mysis in without chopping it up - the pieces would drift over the surface of the rocks and the CBB would stalk them and pick them off. After another few days they were snatched much faster, and now they disappear at an astounding rate.

I've heard of other people using aptasia as a feeding stimulus - and there's that hand-feeding photo at Palmetto Reefs (cool).

Alan

[Delphinus]

Alan, would you happen to have the URL for those pictures at Palmetto?

[EmilyB]

I was really thinking about getting one and putting it in my 44g, cuz it still had some aiptasia. But taking on another fish just wasn't for us right now. I've only got 40 years to give....... So, I finished off the job in there manually. :shock: (Mostly kalk paste- this is a worrisome method with fish in the tank, they will bite it, if they think you are feeding...)

And finally got the last remaining ones at the back of the 120g with a really great invention I read about, but can not find the link yet. I don't know if it would work for bad dusters... :?

Boiling water (must be DI - for pH)...plastic coated coat hanger, hose taped on, and squeeze bottle. Apparently, the heat/and low pH toasts (..potentially coraline) about a nickle shaped spot at worst, that quickly grows over. I never saw any real coraline damage, just melted aiptasia. The hangar allows you access to anything you can see.

Butterflys really like small polyps, that I can attest to with my blackback. Don't know about the copperband.

Why are feather dusters bad?

[AJ_77]

Tony: http://www.palmettoreefs.com/pests.htm

Deb: Feather dusters are fine, but they'll be gone as sure as the aptasia, all the ones within reach anyways. (Or so I've read - never had more than a couple myself, of course those are gone.)

Alan

[EmilyB]

Oh, okay, I misread Jon's post...

I thought he wanted to get rid of the feather dusters...